September 19, 1943- December 12, 2024
Robert Richard Markisz, Bob, 81, of the Bronx, NY, died on December 12, 2024 in Manhattan, surrounded by family. He was a beloved son of the late Anthony and Adele (Karol) Markisz of The Bronx, NY, and brother of John Markisz, who predeceased him. He leaves behind his wife Susan (Bibb) Markisz of The Bronx, his son Christopher Markisz, daughter Kathryn (Markisz) Fox and son-in-law Donald Fox. He also leaves behind his beloved granddaughter, Adele Fox, born in 2019, who was named after her great-grandmother Adele (Karol), loving matriarch of the Markisz family. His grandson Kanan Robert, named after him, was born in Bob’s final waking hours. The two miraculously met via FaceTime where they exchanged first glances, smiles and love in the moments following his birth.
Bob’s many cousins including first cousins Anne (Markisz) Spero, Lucille Markisz, Joseph Markisz, and Karol McGregor, will miss him dearly, as will his sisters-in-law Barbara (Bibb) Carns and Gabriele (Higgins) Bibb, brother-in-law Daniel Bibb, and his many nieces, nephews, cousins and and countless others whose lives he touched. A private celebration of life is being held on Sunday, October 19th, which would have been his and Sue’s 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Born on September 19, 1943 in Manhattan, Bob was raised in The Bronx. After graduating from James Monroe High School in 1960, he attended Pratt Institute where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree and a Master of Science Degree in Urban and Regional Planning in 1966.
A noted land planner specializing in commercial developments and residential renewal programs, Bob was a member of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.), and guest lecturer at universities including Harvard and NYU. He served as a consultant to several communities across the country in preparation of urban and regional rehabilitation projects. He was also involved in the design of hundreds of major retail centers through his association with the JCPenney Company. He later founded Markisz Associates to provide design services to the real estate development industry. With over thirty years of experience in the retail sector, the firm was involved in some of the foremost commercial and corporate development projects in the nation.
Bob was an optimist and a civil rights activist, organizing and participating in marches in New York City and Washington, DC in the sixties.
He was a generous and devoted father, family member and dog dad to Murphy, a Boxer Pit mix rescued by his daughter Katie, in 2005. Murphy decided to spend her life in retirement in the Bronx with Bob and Sue where she was well known in their community as Murphygirl. He enjoyed fishing with his son Chris, and accompanying his daughter Katie to Van Cortlandt Park Equestrian Center where she rode and worked at the barn. He often took his children to the Bronx Zoo on weekends while regaling them with stories from his South Bronx childhood. They both credit their love of nature to their Dad. Bob was also known as “The Spaghetti King,” a pierogi connoisseur and a fiercely competitive pound cake baker.
Bob was an avid Yankees (and Rangers) fan. He attended opening day home games at Yankee Stadium – as well as many others throughout the decades – with his dad, brother, uncle and cousins, his children and family members, while his mom Adele stayed home and cooked for the after-party, making Yankee Opening Day a National Markisz Holiday. Some of his ashes were laid to rest underneath a tree at Macombs Dam Park, home of the original Yankee Stadium, now a neighborhood park where the ball field still remains.
He and his wife Sue enjoyed watching British procedurals and they, together with Bob’s brother John, were opera aficionados and enjoyed attending Saturday nights at the Metropolitan Opera. More than anything, he enjoyed being home, spending time with his family. His was a life well-lived and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.